18 year old teachers back on the cards as Tories compete with Labour for worst education policy

[noblegiraffe]

Gavin has today resurrected the long-thought dead proposal for an undergraduate apprenticeship route into teaching.

schoolsweek.co.uk/williamson-backs-rolls-royce-level-degree-apprenticeships-for-teachers/

Apparently government should not limit talent by expecting talent to have a degree to be a qualified teacher.

It could be a good option for TAs who want to become teachers, but can’t afford to give up earning to train. Not for 18 year olds though, and definitely not for 18 year old in secondary school.

Subject knowledge should not be underestimated.

There are undergraduate degrees which allow you to train to teach and get a degree all in one. You learn subject knowledge alongside pedagogy.

There are routes in to teaching that are salaried if you already have a degree.

Why do we need more routes in which diminish the importantance of subject knowledge. I'm fed up with watching people attempt to teach Maths badly.

I really think having a degree in a relevant subject is so important for secondary teaching. For primary, there's also a B. Ed route available anyway.

There are already lots of routes into teaching. If enough people aren't coming in through these routes then the government needs to look at what is discouraging people from applying and what is causing high levels of trainee drop out and sort out retention in the profession.

Oh fuck you, Gavin! And all the bullshit about "absolutely not watering down the professional standards."

It's getting embarrassing.

My son is teaching secondary PE ATM. He is an ex semi pro sportsman. Qualifications coming out of his ears. He’s 19.

Oh god, why, Alicia? It’s not like we’re actually short of qualified PE teachers.

It could be a good option for TAs who want to become teachers, but can’t afford to give up earning to train

Can’t they get a degree through the OU while working as TAs? (If the workload is what’s putting them off, then maybe going into teaching wouldn’t be for them?)

Are we doing it for doctors too?

I've got O level biology and I'm quite good at sewing. I reckon I could have a bash at taking out an appendix, (after a 'proper' apprenticeship of course).

I can't afford to give up teaching to go to med school, but I'm a quick learner...

Because the lesson we are teaching our children - our teenagers - is that education is not important. Qualifications do not matter.

Their education is valued so little that anyone can teach them. They don't need to know what they are doing.

Is that the message we want to be spreading in education, Gavin? Can we think/pair and share with the class?